


Effugium

by Tahemalie



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Childhood, Hospital, I promise, Keith and Shiro - Freeform, M/M, Mythical Creature, Shatt, Shiro also needs an organ donor and almost dies, car crash, childhood keith, childhood matt, childhood shiro, close to death, dont worry tho he'll be okay, for now its just this, he also loses his arm which is a casual shiro thing to do, ill change some of the tags as i go ofc so a lot might be added on, its pretty lighthearted at first but it turns dark at some point, kit-kat controversy, myth, mythical creatures AU, near death situation, winged au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2019-01-30 12:49:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12653847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tahemalie/pseuds/Tahemalie
Summary: Shiro studied enough Latin to know what that meant.Effugium:1. Flight2. Ways of escapeHe guessed someone had taken this a bit too... literally.





	Effugium

**Author's Note:**

> So, this just in; Tams starts another ambitious project!
> 
> This chapter contains six different time jumps, so I hope that clarifies if things suddenly get confusing.
> 
> WARNING: this chapter contains a car incident and a near-death situation for Shiro. I’m sorry for spoiling it for those who don’t care that much about that stuff, but it’s an important thing to point out for those who do. I can promise, for those who need it, that everything is gonna be fine.
> 
> In any case, please enjoy! I worked hard on it!

It almost sounded like a bird flew against Shiro’s bedroom window. What he came to find, though, was a boy.

It was odd. Shiro lived far, far away from the bustling city, so it seemed strange that there was an unfamiliar face on his balcony so suddenly. Yet here he was. He was sprawled over the floor of the small area attached to his bedroom, groaning and clutching his belly. He was about his age, or at least around the age of 10. The look in his amber eyes revealed he was frightened, as if Shiro was a predator who just hunted him down, readying himself to give the final blow to his prey. He was pale; he could count the blue veins that were scattered under almost transparent, freckled skin. He was barefoot, too, his toes bright red. Golden locks that seemed to be made of sunlight itself, stuck to his soft, round face. His shirt was ripped, revealing different wounds. Claw marks?  The most striking thing, however, was a pair of brown-white wings, which seemed to sprout from the boy’s back. They looked ruffled, some feathers broken. Despite that, they were beautiful. He supposed that was how he appeared on the balcony so sudden. 

For a moment, Shiro was scared. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat; he had never seen a creature like this. He had only heard of them in fairy tales his grandfather once told him, about how they lived in the deepest parts of the forest, being one with nature. They would be gliding from treetop to treetop, trapping innocent wanderers, who would never leave the woods again. Shiro suspected these tales were meant to scare him, to not go too deep into the forest. Apparently, he was wrong.

The voice of his mother shook Shiro to his bones. “Shiro, honey? Was that you?” The boy scurried back, his back hitting the corner of the balcony as his eyes widened, trying not to scream out in agonizing pain.

“Y-Yeah!” Shiro shouted back, his voice shaking. “I… Uh… fell out my bed! I’m back in now, I’m okay! Goodnight!” He couldn’t afford his mother to come up here now. If she did, he wouldn’t be sure what would happen to this person. Luckily, tonight was Spanish Soap Night, so his mother was too distracted to fully worry about it. She yelled a “good night” back, before silence fell in the house again.

When he looked back at the boy, he appeared almost shocked. The boy was squinting, his eyes asking why he would do such a thing. His posture loosened a bit. When Shiro crouched in front of him, though, it vanished again, and the same frightened gaze fell on his face. 

Shiro’s palms were getting sweaty, and he swore his heart had never beaten this fast. Yet, he needed to remain calm if he wanted to help this mysterious creature. What did his father always say? Patience yields focus?

“Hey… I don’t want to hurt you,” a shaky stammer came from Shiro, trying to not let his nerves get the best of him. “I want to help you.”

The boy’s eyes were shooting from one direction to the other, trying their best to take in all of Shiro. Almost like they wanted to make sure there was no secret to him. “D-Don’t come any closer!” The boy warned, his voice shaking and unstable. The voice reminded him of a songbird, soothing, but loud. He hushed him softly. “I know you’re scared, but if you talk too loud, my mom will come up. Who knows what’ll happen then.” They were lucky his father wasn’t home tonight.

The boy seemed to understand that, almost instantly shutting his pink, chapped lips, uncertainty sparkling in his eyes. Shiro gave him a small smile, his mind trying to figure out what to do. He was wounded, he needed to be treated, and his parents couldn’t know. He placed his hand in front of his mouth, lost in thought. The problem was that the first aid kit was downstairs, and his mother was in the living room. It wasn’t impossible to get it, but the chance that Shiro would get caught was relatively big. He wasn’t the best at sneaking, especially if his mother was in the room, so he needed help. He needed someone he could trust with a secret like this. Someone who was light-footed enough to get stuff from the medicine cabinet in the bathroom downstairs, someone who had snuck into the kitchen without his parents even suspecting a thing. He gasped as his eyes lit up. 

He knew just the person.

\--

 

“I think I’m going insane.”

A low voice on the other line laughed. “You, Shiro, the top-of-the-class, Takashi? Going insane? How so?”

Shiro tapped his middle finger on the desk frantically, going faster and faster. He lifted an eyebrow as he stared back at the webcam of his computer. “Keith, I swear, I don’t know!  It’s just… I can’t seem to wrap my head around this shit right now!” He groaned, slamming his head on the table, smashing a few keys of his keyboard in the process. He ignored how that just made his headache twice as bad. He had his high school exams coming up, and despite his excellent performance this entire year, he didn’t feel the drive to study, even though he needed to. If he didn’t study now, he had the chance to fail, which would mean the Garrison would never take his application.

He lifted his head to glance at the screen, revealing a familiar, teenage boy. His face was resting on his hand, and his indigo eyes radiated exhaustion. However, he looked peaceful.

“Well, if there’s anyone who believes in you, it’s me. You can pull through, you can make that dream of yours come true. I promise.”

Shiro smiled, sitting up again. “Thanks.”

It was difficult living far away from home. He needed to move for high school, because he needed specific classes if he wanted to join the Garrison and become a teacher there. This caused him to live with his uncle for now, who he wasn’t close with. They mostly lived past each other, only meeting at the dinner table. For someone like Shiro, who loved to be surrounded by people, it wasn’t easy. The worst thing, in all honesty, was being so far away from Keith. Apparently, after he had left, Keith started getting disciplinary issues, so these calls were a way to keep both of them sane. Shiro’s face fell as a memory flooded his mind. One he thought of too many times. One that happened eight years ago.

Keith furrowed his brow, asking if he was alright, which made Shiro snap back to reality. He couldn’t let Keith see him like this, he didn’t want to bring it up again. Keith didn't understand.

Shiro masked his face with a smile and continued talking about other things, trying to distract Keith. Deep down he knew that, in fact, he was distracting himself. He wouldn’t admit it, though.

\--

“Shiro, are you crazy?!” the small boy exclaimed, causing a hush coming from Shiro. His eyes darted around the dark hallway behind Shiro, trying to detect any source of movement. ”You want me to do what?!” he repeated, softer this time. 

“Can I at least come in?” Shiro whispered, desperate. Keith nodded, letting him in and closing the door behind him with a thud.

Keith was a slim boy who was a head shorter than Shiro. He was thin for his age, although he was doing better since he moved in here. His thick, raven hair stood in all directions from sleeping. His olive skin was paler than Shiro’s, reminding him of porcelain. He was just two years younger than him, yet he has been through enough to appear two years older instead. 

They had known each other for as long as they could remember. Their parents were old childhood friends. Back in the day, they used to play in Keith’s small garden, and they would imagine the craziest stories about astronauts, cat aliens, and big robots. Keith had a vivid imagination, although he wouldn’t show it to many people. However, Shiro has always known him as a bubbly, lively kid. One day, something had happened to Keith’s father, which meant Shiro’s mother took him in as her own, who had gained custody over Keith. Since that moment, they’d been living together. Keith never wanted to talk about it, and it had clearly changed something in his behavior.

Shiro had never known who Keith’s mother was, and, apparently, he didn’t either. Mom said she would tell them exactly what happened when they were old enough to know.

Keith’s thin hand lingered on the doorknob. “So, if I understand this correctly,” he started, raising an eyebrow. Shiro almost chuckled at the dead-pan look on his face. “You want me to go down, sneak into the bathroom, grab the big medical kit, and take it to you…?”

He was sure his cheeks were bright red out of embarrassment at this point, but this needed to be done. He nodded with determination. “And fast, please.”

Keith looked absolutely done with Shiro, trying to process everything as best as he could. “Alright, and the reason for this...stuff... is because there’s a boy with wings in your room, and he’s bleeding.” His voice was hesitant, his tone filled with disbelief, like Shiro had become delusional. He nodded. This was the most unbelievable story he has ever told. He crossed his arms, trying his best to look as confident as possible. He had this feeling it failed, considering Keith was still searching for a spark of sanity in Shiro’s eyes. He felt a little bit bad for Keith, since he woke him up, but he had no other choice. They needed to hurry. He promised the boy he would save him. 

Keith sighed, his hand falling from the knob to rub over his forehead. “Shiro, normally I’m the one with the crazy ideas,” he muttered. “But this? This is the most insane thing I’ve ever heard.”

Shiro grabbed both of his shoulders, shaking him, which clearly startled Keith and made him take a step back. “I know, I know! But we don’t have much time! I swear Keith I’ll do anything!” He was desperate. Every minute – no, every second they wasted could mean the death of an innocent… winged person. 

Keith’s downcast eyes lit up, meeting Shiro’s. A smirk appeared on his face as he crossed his arms. “Anything, you say?”

Whatever he had in mind, was probably not fun for Shiro. He didn’t have a choice, though. “Anything.”

\--

It didn’t take long before Shiro had ended the call with Keith. He couldn’t shake off Keith’s worries, and he wasn’t going to explain it was that stupid dream thing again. So, instead, he said he was tired and he was going to sleep now. Keith didn’t have to know that he was lying, of course, because he knew he would still be pondering about things.

He was lying on his bed, the window open on the other side. His bedroom was smaller than the one he had at home, but it made do. It was messy for Shiro’s doing; books stacked on the desk and the ground, in semi-neat piles. Notes and papers were sticking out of them, corners folded. The room was dark, though the light of the full moon casted on the white curtains managed to lighten up the room a bit. They seemed weightless, gliding on the current. Shiro wondered what that would be like. The clock read 1 AM, yet he didn’t feel tired.

He knew he would be up for a while, still.

He furrowed his brows, confused. It happened about eight years ago, yet it was still as clear as day. Everything had seemed so real, so when Keith told him he couldn’t remember it, and he told Shiro it was probably just a dream, it had genuinely frustrated him. He never would be able to imagine a boy so vividly. 

No. He wouldn’t buy into it being a dream. It didn’t make sense. It wouldn’t explain the pendant.

He took it out from under his shirt, holding it between his index finger and thumb. It always seemed to disobey the rules of its surroundings, because even though the room was dark, the gem seemed to be emitting light whenever Shiro held it. It almost seemed alive.

It was a deep amber color, clearly polished. The stone almost seemed magical, like it was a totem of some sort. He had read plenty about these gems; about them being tears of the sun, a talisman for beauty and renewal. The most striking thing, however, was that it seemed to hold a certain symbol he couldn’t seem to decipher. He has read plenty about symbols, from Greek mythology to Irish, but none of these seemed to have something resembling it. It was confusing, which was a heavy understatement to Shiro.

He let the gem play between his fingers, observing it from all angles before a sigh left his mouth and he tucked the pendant back under his shirt.

He thought about it too much. He thought he’d be over it by now, but alas.

He could only hope to meet him once again. And Shiro could only hope that Keith wouldn’t think it was a dream then.

\--

While Keith was out to get the first aid kit, Shiro decided he needed to go back to the room and get the boy from the balcony to his bed. He silently scuffled around on the creaky, wooden floor of the hallway. He knew where its weak spots were, so he carefully maneuvered past these points, reaching the door of his room with barely any trouble. He could hear the television downstairs, with here and there a comment from his mother. She was completely distracted, which made everything twice as easy for Keith, which Shiro was relieved about. They were lucky tonight.

He had to promise Keith half of his own desserts. His tiny, children’s heart was crying, but it was for the greater good. It wouldn’t be in vain.

He slowly opened the door to his room, shutting it quietly. His room was stuffy from the summer night’s air, and as usual, it was neat, contrary to Keith’s room. His trusty stuffed animal, Blacky the Panther, stood watch over his bed. Blacky seemed proud of Shiro. Shiro nodded at him as a form of greeting him. The panther never failed to give him hope and encouragement.

He made his way to the balcony, where the boy was still pressed against the wall. His wings covered his body, shaking in fear. When he opened the door, his golden eyes darted to the source of the movement, like he was a deer in the headlight. As soon as he saw who it was, he calmed down a bit. Shiro gave the boy a reassuring smile, trying his best to seem as calm as possible as he crouched next to him. The boy flinched, sitting further away.

“My friend is on his way to get supplies,” he began, his voice quiet. “We’re going to get you patched up.” He didn’t reply. Instead, he buried his face in his arms, letting out soft sobs of pain. Shiro couldn’t even come close to imagining what that felt like. Of course, he wasn’t sure what had happened, but it didn’t seem like the boy wanted to talk about it, so he decided not to ask, either. He considered putting a hand on the boy’s shoulder out of comfort, but he chose against it. He didn’t want to make him more uncomfortable than necessary. In any case, they needed to get inside, since he needed to lie down if he wanted to be treated.

“I’m sorry,” Shiro said, trying his best to show a bit of sympathy. “We should go inside.” The boy’s head rose, staring at him with tears lingering in his puffy eyes. He felt his stomach twist. Poor thing. “T-then you can lie down, and we can treat your wounds.”

The boy hesitated, but he soon realized that there was no other option than to come in. He nodded, slowly. Shiro rose to his feet, and the boy wanted to do the same, but as soon as he tried to stand on his foot, he cried out in pain. He fell on his knees, whimpering as they hit the concrete of the balcony. 

Shiro immediately offered the boy support, telling him to lean on his shoulder so they could walk inside together. The boy hesitated, analyzing him once more and going over any other possibilities. When it seemed to be the only option, he allowed Shiro to put a hand around his waist. As soon as their skin touched, Shiro could feel the boy’s muscles tense. It was clear he wasn’t used to this. Shiro couldn’t help but notice that the other’s skin was warmer than his own. He was gentle too; despite being wounded, he didn’t put all his pressure on him, or at least so Shiro assumed. He was as light as a feather, and way warmer than a normal human as well. That explained the bare feet, he supposed.

With every passing moment, Shiro got more curious as to who this person was and where he came from.

Together, they walked inside, the boy skipping. He instructed him to lie down on his bed, and the boy did as he was told, hissing and squirming in pain. When he was somewhat comfortable on the bed, Keith came barging in, carrying the first aid kit.

“Alright Shiro, I got what you asked for….” Keith mumbled, letting his eyes gaze around the room. When it reached Shiro’s bed, his eyes widened, his mouth falling open. “Y-you weren’t lying after all!” He exclaimed loudly, causing an immediate hush to come from Shiro, which made Keith apologize almost instantly. He slowly made his way to the bed. The boy sat up in shock, his breathing picking up as he attempted to flee.

Shiro softly nudged the boy back down. “It’s okay, it’s just my friend, he won’t hurt you,” he said in a reassuring tone, looking at Keith from the corner of his eye. Keith somehow got the hint, slowing down his pace and trying his best to not seem too excited - which deemed difficult for him. It didn’t take long for Keith to reach the bedside, placing the medical kit on the foot end of the bed and opening it. The boy’s gaze never left Keith, observing it and making sure he really didn’t mean any harm.

It was only now that Shiro allowed himself to look at the wounds this boy had, starting at his face, where three cuts ran from his jaw to his eye. It seemed the middle one was the deepest, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if it would become a scar in due time. Shiro’s grey eyes trailed down to his torso, where his beige shirt was ripped and smothered in dark-red blood and dirt. A cut going from his abdomen to his side seemed to be the deepest, though it would most likely not be life-threatening. There weren’t as many injuries on his legs, although there was definitely something wrong with his ankle. He had a vague idea on how to treat these wounds.

Then, the wings. In all honesty, Shiro had no clue how they should be treated, but he saw mom watch this animal rescue show once. A bird fought with another one, causing it not being able to fly properly. It couldn’t stand on one of his paws, too. In the end, the bird survived it, but he needed surgery because he had broken his claw. He had forgotten more than half of it, but he hoped he could bullshit his way out of it.

In any case, the wounds didn’t seem as drastic as Shiro initially thought, so they might not need to perform surgery.

He turned to Keith, who was inspecting the kit, rolling out different bandages. Apparently, he had found a box of band aids, and he decided it’d be a good idea to stick a green one on his head for no reason. Shiro chuckled. It looked rather funny. “We might need some warm water to clean him off. You stay here with him, then I’ll go get a bucket.” He turned away, planning on walking towards the door. He immediately got pulled back by Keith.

“No, I don’t want to be alone with him,” Keith muttered stubbornly under his breath, puckering his lips. Shiro furrowed his brows, looking confused.  “What if he attacks me? I don’t trust him.” Shiro sighed out of annoyance, closing his eyes for a moment. Did he realize the boy was injured? Did he realize he and were his only hope? Probably not.

Keith suggested getting the water instead. Shiro shrugged, letting him walk off. He loved him to bits, but sometimes he could exaggerate a little. He supposed it was just part of Keith’s personality or something. 

He turned to the boy. “Uh… You should take off your shirt,” Shiro said, crossing his arms as he looked at the boy. It was an odd request, probably the first time ever he told someone to do that. “Can you do that with your injuries? And your… wings.”

The boy nodded, and Shiro was happy to see that most of the angst had left the boy’s face.

There was no need to be scared.

\--

How did he end up here…?

His vision was fuzzy, a noise buzzing in his ear, but somehow it still seemed so... far away. He closed his eyes, his head was spinning. He forgot what was up. He forgot what was down.

Where was he?

A groan left his body, and he wasn’t sure if he was just tired, or if he was in pain. His arm was sleeping. He couldn’t feel it.

Could someone turn off the siren, please? Just five more minutes.

Could someone turn off the flashing lights, too?

\--

The boy hissed as Shiro applied the lukewarm towel to the big wound on his abdomen, flinching and trying to pull away from the touch. Shiro hushed him, carefully dabbing onto the wound to clean it as best as he could. “I know it hurts, but we need to get through this.”

A whimper came from the boy, but he tried to stay still as much as he could, at least. Shiro knew this wasn’t easy for him, but he just needed to pull through a little bit longer. If he didn’t, he would be stuck here. He would have to explain to his parents that there were winged people. That meant the boy would be carried off to have some experiments done on him. He couldn’t let that happen. 

Keith held out a cotton pad with some rubbing alcohol on it, and Shiro took it from him, thanking him quietly. Treating wounds wasn’t as difficult as mom made it out to be. Keith had injuries several times a week from climbing trees, and so he’d seen how his mother treated wounds like these more than regularly. He gently placed the pad on the wound, and this time, the boy tried his best not to scream out in pain. The alcohol always stung. Shiro softly apologized, before he bound it with bandages.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be better in no time.”

\--

The sirens never actually shut off, and the light didn’t, either. It was funny, though, because despite all the flashing lights, everything was dark.

Oh, right. His eyes were closed.

He tried to open them, but it didn’t help much. All that got revealed to him was a blurry vision, glass everywhere, and... the inside of a car? He still couldn’t move his arm, though. 

He could hear voices outside. Shouting. Yet they seemed far away. Numb. Like he was surrounded by thick glass.

The light became brighter.

Keeping his eyes open gave him a headache, so he decided to close them again.

\--

Keith shut the emergency kit while Shiro proudly glanced at his work. Surely, the bandages weren’t as well-applied as his mother could do, but the cuts weren’t bleeding anymore. Instead, they were nicely cleaned and covered. The expression of the boy also seemed more comfortable, which made him feel relieved. It was nice to know he didn’t make the boy as scared as he used to before. There was one thing that Shiro had noticed, which was something that seemed to be lingering on the boy’s mind. Like he was pushing himself to do something, no, – rather to say something. As soon as the boy’s eyes met Shiro’s, this disappeared, replacing itself with shyness and a pink blush on his face. He responded with an encouraging smile. ‘Say what you want to say’, he tried to express, but the boy cast his eyes downward to break the contact, shyly trying to distract himself by fiddling with his fingers. He couldn’t help but feel disappointed. When he quickly looked at Keith, he noticed he was intensely staring at the unfamiliar face in the room. Of course he would be shy.

Something shot through Shiro’s mind. A grin filled his face. He didn’t waste a second. He sat down on his knees as he took a box out from under the bed. He placed it on top, before he seated himself in between Keith and the boy, creating a circle with the cardboard object in the middle. Shiro knew that Keith was fully aware of what was going on, considering the box was all too familiar to him. He didn’t even have to look at him to know that he would be staring at the box. The boy, however, seemed both curious and weary at this mysterious, cardboard object. 

Shiro opened it, smugly smirking as he slowly rustled around in the paper. The box was the so-called Brogane-box, supplied with stolen (Shiro preferred the term ‘borrowed’) candy from the cupboard in the kitchen. Mom and dad didn’t know about it, and Shiro prayed every day that they wouldn’t, ever.

The reason why it was in Shiro’s room was quite simple. 

One: he was the oldest, and therefore the smartest and most responsible of them both. That was fact.

Two: Keith loved midnight snacks, which ultimately caused disasters from time to time. One day, Keith proposed to place the box in his room, which was the worst thing Shiro had ever agreed on. The next morning, the candy empire they’d built was gone. Shiro cried for four hours consecutively. He could never trust him the same way again. 

Three: Shiro’s room was objectively the neatest, and besides that it was something he took pride in, it also deemed extremely helpful for hiding secret boxes. His mom would often clean the rooms while they were both at school. If everything was neatly tucked away, she would only have to clean the sheets and perhaps vacuum the floor. She wouldn’t need to rummage through his stuff.

Four: Shiro loved midnight snacks too, but he could hold himself back, contrary to Keith.

He pulled out three red candy-bars from underneath the protective papers, reading ‘Kit-Kat’ in white letters.

Keith’s eyes were sparkly, his hands eagerly making grabby motions. Shiro purposely held it further away from him, which he didn’t seem to like very much.

Shiro didn’t even have the chance to hand the Kit-Kat to Keith, who immediately yanked it out of his hands as soon as he lowered them. He protected it from his friend, like Shiro had tortured it endlessly in front of his eyes. Shiro decided to play along, dramatically producing a villainous laughter. Keith responded by turning the chocolate bar away, using his body as a human shield against Shiro’s incredibly dangerous claws. His eyes spoke thunder as he protectively growled. The sight was surprisingly funny, considering he tried so hard to be intimidating, which had an adverse effect. The entire scene reminded him of a chihuahua who was defending a bone from a dog that was twice his size. That didn’t change the fierceness in the chihuahua’s eyes, though.

Shiro lost his act, a laugh erupting from his throat as he visualized Keith as an angry chihuahua with a mullet in its neck.  He tore the image away from his mind before he wouldn’t be able to breathe from laughter. People would start questioning Shiro’s sanity, if they didn’t already. It took a while for Shiro to stop giggling like an idiot. Keith didn’t seem pleased by this, also; his cheeks were a bright red out of embarrassment, and Shiro couldn’t help but feel a little bit bad for teasing his friend. 

When he was back on Earth, he handed one of the Kit-Kats to the boy, leaving the remaining one for himself. His eyes lingered on the unfamiliar child. He was carefully inspecting the artificially red object in his palms from all angles. He had lost all attention for his surroundings because of it. His eyes were big, his lips parted in awe. He squinted when he spotted the white letters that stated the ingredients, trying to decipher what all these tiny symbols meant. Shiro spotted two little fangs sitting in his mouth, which was surprisingly cute. He smiled fondly, and he was happy that the boy wasn’t paying attention to him, because that would most likely make Shiro blush out of shame.

He tore his eyes away from the boy, while clearing his throat and straightening his back, as he raised his Kit-Kat in the air. “I would like to make a toast,” he spoke, trying his best to sound as posh as possible.

…Haha. Posh-ible.

…

Shiro was disappointed in himself, too.

He looked at Keith. The anger in his eyes was replaced with a serious gaze, giving Shiro a small nod as he also rose the Kit-Kat to the sky. Both held this stance while they waited for the boy to join them. They glanced over at the last person, who hesitantly copied their actions as he tapped the chocolate bar against the others.

“We are gathered here today to welcome a new member to the Broganes clubhouse,” he started, keeping his formal demeanor as best as he could. “May we welcome this boy by sharing a Kit-Kat with him, and may he feel at home.” As the last phrase left his mouth, he glanced at the boy, giving him a smile. He immediately started blushing as a response, gaping back at him with stars in his eyes. 

Shiro was enchanted. He wasn’t really sure what just happened between them, but it was an unfamiliar feeling to him. If he didn’t know any better, he suggested a colony of butterflies just hatched in his stomach. 

It felt good, though.

“Cheers,” he said softly, kinder than he had said the rest of the words, their gaze not breaking. The boy’s lips closed, displaying a gentle smile instead. Shiro wasn’t sure what he looked like, but his face felt very, very warm.

They both awkwardly tore away when Keith shouted “Cheers!”, who hadn’t noticed the exchange between them. He decided to observe Keith, trying his best to push the moment to the back of his mind. He couldn’t think about this too much. He shook his head, trying to come to his senses. 

His plan worked, but not in the way he wanted to.

He barely registered how Keith forcefully ripped the package open. However, the way Keith took a bite through all four of the Kit-Kat pieces, logged in his brain all too well.

Shiro could feel the big grin on his face fade away within literal seconds. It replaced itself with disappointment, his face devoid of emotion. 

Oh.

My.

God?

Would Keith ever learn?!

A disgrace to humanity. Keith caught him staring, and he stopped chewing the big bite he took. “Wha,” he said, barely audible as crumbs flew on Shiro’s bed, which caused him to gasp and push him away.

“You know EXACTLY what I mean, Keith!” he exclaimed way too loud. Crap, what if his mother heard that? He continued, softer this time. “You’re supposed to break off the pieces and then eat it! You can’t just take a big bite, that’s not how it works,” he complained in a nagging tone. “Also, don’t make my bed messy, mom cleaned the sheets yesterday.” He frantically started wiping the chocolate crumbs off the bed. Keith’s only reaction to that was a shrug, as he took another bite, not changing his behavior whatsoever.

Shiro really felt the urge to hit him, but he decided against it. Instead, he would enjoy the Kit-Kat the proper way.

Shiro opened the package carefully, breaking off one of the parts and taking a small bite. He let the chocolate, a true gift from the heavens, melt on his mouth before he crunched the rest of it, which made the experience twice as good. He closed his eyes with pleasure, enjoying every bite to the fullest. He almost – almost – forgot the horror Keith was committing. 

When he opened his eyes, he noticed the boy struggling with opening the package, panic evident in his eyes. “I’ll open it for you,” he proposed. The boy looked up, and eagerly shoved the candy bar in Shiro’s hands. He swiftly pulled it open, the paper rustling in his hands as he handed it back to him. 

This was the moment of truth.

Would the boy follow in Keith’s footsteps, or would he imitate Shiro and do it the proper way? Anticipation filled the room for Shiro, gulping as he nervously looked at the next couple of actions the boy took.

He sighed, cursing in five different languages he didn’t even speak.

The boy tilted his head, glancing down at the candy in his hand. With one, swift action, he took a bite. Shiro felt like a part of his insides broke. Like his heart ripped out his chest, leaving him cold on the ground. Betrayal at its finest. Shiro took a deep breath, holding it. Patience yields focus. 

Patience. Yields. Focus.

Remember it, Shiro.

He released the breath he was holding. “Okay,” he spoke in a high voice, ignoring the laughter erupting from Keith. He had to try his best not to scream, because he was pretty sure this was the worse pain he had ever felt. He was surrounded by Kit-Kat heathens.

It was clear to Shiro that the boy was processing the flavor, but it didn’t take long before his eyes turned sparkly. The feathers on his wings fluffed, reminding him of a friend’s pet cockatiel, while shoving a bigger bite into his mouth. His eyes were wide, and his face, scattered with freckles, were a light red. It was clear that he was in pain because of the wounds, but the chocolate seemed to help him lift his spirits, like chocolate does best.

A smile appeared on Shiro’s face. He looked like he was enjoying it. 

He would be forgiven for his horrible crime, although Shiro would never forget. He probably didn’t know any better, so he gave him the benefit of the doubt.

A question was lingering on Shiro’s mind though. He had to ask.

“What’s your name?” Shiro questioned, his head tilting in curiosity. The boy’s eyes darted up, and it took him a while to reply. Shiro suspected the boy was gathering courage, so he gave him a reassuring nod.

“Maetthynael.”

He had spoken it, softly, and the room soon felt quiet. He couldn’t get over how beautiful his voice was, soothing as it brought a calm vibe to the room. He had never heard a name like that before, yet it fit him perfectly. He opened his mouth to reply, but Keith was ahead of him. “That’s so long,” he grumbled, his cheeks stuffed with chocolate. The twinkle in Maetthynael’s eyes disappeared, his face falling, which broke something within Shiro.

“I like it.” I love it, he wanted to say, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak it aloud. Maetthynael seemed to be a bit happier, now. Good.

“It fits you.” It’s literally perfect. More sparkle was back now, but the smile was still missing from his face.

“Is it okay if I say Matt?” Please, let it be okay I say Matt. Let it be enough to return the smile?

It was clear he didn’t understand what Shiro meant, and the joy in his eyes disappeared again, making place for contemplation. Crap. There went his progress, out the window. The boys’ eyebrows furrowed, his head tilting. “But... Matt isn’t my real name. Why would you call me Matt then?”

Shiro let out a soft laugh, nervously fumbling with his fingers. “Well, my real name is Takashi Shirogane, but everyone calls me Shiro.” He shrugged. “It’s special! It’s like... a small version of your own name, so it’s easier to call. It’s something friends do.” That was something Maetthynael needed to think about, clearly. He seemed perplexed by his answer.

“W-We are friends?” he stammered, his voice shaking with disbelief. Shiro didn’t waste a second, nodding confidently. He looked perplexed, still not meeting Shiro’s gaze. Then, his face shot up.

“Okay, you can call me Matt then!” 

He bared his teeth in a big smile, revealing Matt’s fangs. It was a smile so big, it practically illuminated the entire room.

Or, at least, it lit something inside Shiro. 

It was like the feeling he had earlier, but ten times as big.

\--

Where… was he?

Everything felt like a fever dream to Shiro. He was floating, but at the same time, he was aware he was lying on a bed. The insides of his eyes were dark, but not as dark as they would be at night. He could hear a sound, which seemed to be getting clearer by the minute. It was a steady beeping, and after he fully registered it, it picked up. Strange. There was also the dripping of a liquid next to him.

It took him a while before he landed, his consciousness returning. He became aware that he wasn’t actually floating; he just felt like he was, for a minute. Right now, he started to feel heavy again. Ugh.

He tried his best to open his eyes, but they were dry, so it took him a while before he could properly see. Everything was blurry, although he could make out the bed he was lying on. When he looked closer, he could see a rectangular object, something he assumed was a cabinet. Something stood on top of it, which had a red color. It differentiated itself from the room. Flowers, maybe..? There was light coming through the window to the left of him. The sun seemed to be setting, so the room had an orange tone. Everything was still fuzzy, but his eyes were focusing, slowly and steady. Now, he could also make out a door, a television, and what seemed to be a bathroom. Everything was bare and boring. 

Yep, he concluded he was most likely in a hospital.

There was also a person in his room, who seemed to be sleeping. They were sitting next to him, their head resting face-down on the sheets. Who was this person? 

Could his eyes maybe, I don’t know, work for a second? He decided to close them again, giving them just a little bit of rest. It seemed unnecessary for him to do that, but apparently they needed it. So, he started to focus on other things.

The… Scent… was sterile?

Well, he wasn’t good at this.

Instead, he decided to focus on the steady beeps that emerged from the machinery, but it quickly started to annoy him. Not even a minute had passed by! He sighed of annoyance, trying to move his stiff body, but a sharp pain in his abdomen caused him to squirm. Great. Of course.

When his eyes finally were adjusted to being used again, he could spot smaller details. The room was cold and distant - everything but homely. His eyes darted around the room, spotting all kinds of apparatuses with little lights, powered by wires coming from the back. Tubes were attached to him, one of them going in his left arm, and others going up to his face. He took some time to observe the person sleeping next to him. They appeared male, his lean body rising and falling at a slow pace. Black hair covered his features. Normally, sleeping people looked peaceful. This person didn’t, however. Like he was worrying in his sleep. It probably had to do with the fact that they were in a hospital (he assumed, at least).

His mind decided to co-operate as he realized who was sitting next to him. It made sense. Finally something did.

“K…keith?” he spoke, his own voice exotic to him. It hadn’t been used in ages, husky and rough.

In an instant, the boy shot up, sleepy eyes peering at him. “Hmm…? Shiro?” he muttered, before the boy registered what actually happened. A smile of disbelief showed on his face as all signs of tiredness disappeared. “You’re awake!” Tears welled up in his familiar, purple eyes, and it didn’t take long before they flooded and thick, salty tears were streaming over the olive cheeks. “I-I thought you never would. You’ve been out for a while- I thought I… I thought I lost you…” 

Shiro’s vision got blurry again, but this time it was because of his own tears. He laughed, which instantly caused a cough erupting from his throat. It was painful, feeling different parts of his body burn inside him. He pressed his teeth together, trying to hide the pain from his friend, although he expected it wouldn’t work. “I’m alright, Keith, no need to worry.” 

Keith laughed, genuinely, which was a surprise for Shiro. It was seldom he laughed this way, this outgoingly, so he couldn’t help but think it sounded good. He had told his friend he should laugh like this more often, but it made Keith do the exact opposite. This sound, though, soon turned into sobs. “Really?” he managed to speak in between, hardly audible. “You should look at yourself, you dumbass. Your hair even grew longer.” He sniffled, wiping his nose with his forearm. “You look fucked up, man.” Keith started sobbing louder, letting the tears run down his face as his posture collapsed, hunching over and resting his forearms on the hospital bed, burying his face as the crying became louder.

He reached out his right hand to lay it on top of Keith’s head, but it didn’t quite work as he had planned. He couldn’t move his fingers, nor could he feel his arm. That was strange... Confusedly, he moved his arm from underneath the covers. 

He held his breath as it revealed nothing but a stump, just above where his elbow was supposed to be.

“Keith? Where is my arm…?”

\--

A ray of sunlight enthusiastically peeked through the window, causing Shiro to wake up from his sleep. A morning breeze entered the room through the opened balcony door. He could hear birds outside, singing their morning songs. He looked around the room, finding a boy sleeping against his legs as he yawned.

Shiro smiled fondly at the peaceful sight of Keith, who was softly snoring. Yesterday, they had fallen asleep playing doctor, giving each other bandages and pretending to have deep, life-threatening injuries. It was a lot of fun, and they had ended the night by eating Kit-Kats, soon falling asleep after. It seemed like Keith never got rid of his band aid, because he still had a green one stuck to his face. The chocolate was still visible on his face, too.

Today promised to be a good day. He sat up from his sleep, glancing around the room. Everything was practically the same, although there was a first-aid kit on the bed, right next to the Brogane-box, which caused panic to rise in Shiro. He forgot to hide it under the bed. He would have to clean that up before mom and dad found out. He hoped they hadn’t noticed, or that they hadn’t spotted the contents, at least.

There was something strange, though. It was like he forgot something. He hoped it was nothing important, so he searched in the corners of his mind for something that seemed to be on the tip of his tongue. After consideration, he didn’t think there was anything. He was lost in thought, glancing down as his closed fists. Hey… that was strange. He tilted his face as he looked at his hands. It seemed like he was… holding something. It looked like a leather strap came from his palms.

He opened his palms. He gasped of wonder.

In his hands laid a gemstone. An amber, in fact. It was like he was holding a piece of the sun, that’s how bright it was. Streaks of red and yellow mingled into each other, creating a beautiful range of colors that looked like the summer sun. There were bubbles trapped inside, and for some reason, Shiro thought they resembled freckles. The most remarkable thing was the symbol hiding within, something incomprehensible, yet somehow so familiar. The gem was held by silver, curving around in an almost enchanting manner. The silver gracefully created a hole at the top, where a long, leather strap went through it. 

Suddenly, the memories came flooding back, almost startling Shiro. 

Shiro and Keith never fell asleep playing doctor. No - they were helping a mysterious, winged boy called Matthynael, that had crashed on Shiro’s small balcony, because he was injured. They had spent the night together, fixing the boy. After that, they had shared a Kit-Kat together. He didn’t understand. It was like the crystal caused him to realize the truth, like it had given its own memory to him. It was amazing, but most of all, he was frustrated at himself. Why couldn’t he remember it a minute ago? He exhaled the breath he didn’t know he held.

Matt. 

His eyes widened.

Where was Matt?

He was gone, disappeared as fast as he had appeared. A pang of sadness filled in Shiro’s body, and he kind of wanted to cry right now. Matt was interesting; a new face always was. He wanted to know so much more about him. Where he came from, what flying was like. Where he lived. Everything - anything Matt was willing to tell! 

He glanced down at the necklace in his hand again, before he tied the long cord it around his neck.

“I will never forget you again,” he whispered, determined as he closed the amber in his fist. “And I promise I’ll meet you another day.”

\--

Whenever someone asked him what the future looked like, Shiro expected it to be peaceful and happy. His future would be long. Timeless too, perhaps.

He never thought of lying in a cold hospital bed.

He never thought his future would be waiting for a donor to save his life.

Half of the information the doctor gave was already lost. All he needed to know, anyway, was that ribs had pierced through his spleen and liver. They couldn’t be saved. With that, the car crash caused part of his lung to be punctured, and from now on, a horizontal scar had appeared on his face, together with others on his arms – no, arm -  where glass had deeply pierced his skin. They ran over his torso and neck, too. Everything was so bad that he needed a donor within a week. If he didn’t, he would pass away. That was truly frightening. He didn’t even want to think about it. For now, it meant Shiro could consider himself lucky if he survived without the machinery for two minutes, which would frighten him to his bones, weren’t it for the fact that he couldn’t feel any emotion at all. Rather, he wouldn’t allow himself to. The news never fully registered, and even if it did, he would never allow himself to let his emotions get to him. Everything was just too unbelievable.

He needed a donor, soon, if he wanted to live. That was all he needed to know.

The reactions of the people around him were the things that really hurt him, though. His mother crying, thick tears streaming down her face. She tried to appear happy, tried to enjoy the last moments together, but he could see she had trouble to do so. When she was in the room, she would hold his hand like he was a porcelain cup, like he would break as soon as they would touch. She would tell them about Shiro’s childhood, making him smile of nostalgia, but things would end in both crying. Shiro wished they had more time together. She would comment on how young he was, how beautiful he was, and how proud she was of him. When she had to go, her hand would trail over Shiro’s face, lingering, like it was the last time they would ever touch each other. Any time could be the last time, too. Shiro never wanted her soft touch to go, and he would grab her hand every time she left, telling her everything will be alright. That caused his mother to laugh through the endless streams of tears, making it only harder when she left. 

Father tried to stay strong for him by keeping a neutral face, but Shiro knew that his eyes never lied; they were filled with sorrow. They would spend their time sitting by the bed in silence, which was surprisingly comfortable. Whenever his father would talk, it would be about daily things: work-related, a description of their day, or a brief summary of how Keith was doing. It was nice that the conversations didn’t go about him, considering Shiro could try to live vicariously through the normal things his father told him. It was a nice distraction. His father never was the person to touch him, or to speak his heart, but Shiro could read him very well. He knew his Dad blamed himself, which made Shiro heavy on the inside. It wasn’t his fault. It would never be his fault.

Keith’s visits were painful. Of course, he was happy to see the boy, but every time Keith would look more sleep-deprived and worse as the previous visit, making him on edge and angry with the world around him. He was quiet mostly, but Shiro forced him to talk. However, Keith would turn the conversation around, asking for any progress on the donor list. He would have to reply negatively, because no, there wasn’t any progress, and there most likely won’t be any soon. The last time he came to visit, Keith had yelled at the nurse who came in as he told this. Shiro could see him boiling on the inside, and his heart would rip in half as soon as he heard the desperate cries from him. He had tried to tell Keith it was okay – everything would be okay, but he would never buy it. Tears would be standing in their eyes as he would lean over the bed, telling Shiro in his face he would keep fighting for him until Shiro was able to walk out the hospital himself. It was a nice gesture of him, but it made the situation worse for Shiro. Couldn’t he just accept it wasn’t going to happen any time soon?

The worst time Keith came to visit, was when he proposed to be a donor himself. He had told Shiro like it was a fact, accepting that he would die instead. Shiro never allowed this, yet he was stubborn as he spoke to the doctor about the possibility. They had some tests done, and to his relief (not to Keith’s, though) their blood type wasn’t the same, so the organ would be rejected as soon as they tried to transplant it.

Keith would also never leave. He would stay by his side until the nurse asked him to go, and even then, he would stubbornly stay seated. Only when Shiro told him to go home, he did.

When he was alone, his mind would be darting from the one thing to the other. He tried his best to look back at the past rather than what would happen to him in the future. There were a lot of moments Shiro was thinking about, yet he tried his best not to let his feelings get to it.

He wasn’t sure how long ago the news was delivered, considering he was losing track of time. It didn’t matter, anyway. His sleeping schedule was wonky, irregular. It wasn’t like there was much else he could do; everything on the television was boring, and if he would be leaving his bed, he would be met with other people in the hallways, who most of the time looked worse than he did.

Shiro knew he was going insane since he started to notice small things that changed. He could see the flowers wither on the table beside him, how dust collected on the top of the television. It was a battle of time, all starting when the nurse came in to clean. The dust particles tried their best to cover up the area as fast as they could, but the nurse would come in the next day and wipe it away again. The dripping of liquid always faded to the background as soon as he woke up, yet it would be the only noise in the room, next to the heart monitor’s beep. It was always a battle of time when the monitor alarmed, and multiple nurses came in to check on him. Nothing would be wrong, ever, except perhaps the drip next to him needing to be refilled. He wondered if they ever got sick of running from one room to another, just because a monitor’s cord wasn’t aligned the way it should be. 

Another thing that regularly called his attention was the window. He had asked the nurses to open it, and despite their warning that illnesses could get in, he had insisted. The fresh breeze of autumn air made the sterile scent of the hospital thin out and become more bearable. It was only open a few inches, but it was better than nothing. Sometimes, throughout the day, his eyes would shoot to the view outside, because he saw an object, or a person move from the corner of his eye. In reality, it revealed nothing, so Shiro suspected a bird had flown past. For some reason, it made him feel watched, like something was lurking at him, observing him.

He was really going insane. How was a person supposed to watch him from the 8th floor?

Right now, he was staring up at the white ceiling, wide awake. Shiro suspected it was somewhere past midnight, but he couldn’t be sure. The clock was unreadable; the only light in the room was the faint, red lights from the monitors surrounding him, doing their job and making sure Shiro could continue to live. Well, for now. Because he was quite bored in his room today (like any day, to be fair). He had spent most of the daytime sleeping, which ultimately caused his own doom. If he hadn’t done that, he would have been sleeping now. The beeping of the heart monitor was steady but slow, so he supposed he was calm, although the rest of his body didn’t agree. His mind was empty, while simultaneously being a chaos at the same time. His body felt stiff but restless too, his eyes dry, yet they refused to blink and look away from the concrete plates on the ceiling. It was one of those weird moods where he felt everything at once, while also feeling nothing but emptiness. He was lost in thought, thinking back of a day where he was young, where he was playing outside. God, he would give everything to go back to a time like that. A time where he could be playing with Keith, not needing to worry about the future, because the future would still be far, far away. 

For some reason, he found himself taking out the amulet from under his shirt, undoing the leather strap around his neck, so he could observe it better. Nothing ever changed to it, it was timeless. It always managed to amaze Shiro, though. Every time he looked at it, he spotted something different.

For example, this time he noticed the symbol was flickering.

It… was flickering…? No. It had the same pace as a beating heart, and it matched the heart monitor next to him. When that thing beeped, the light would turn brighter,  before it dimmed again.

That’s odd…

He furrowed his brow, staring at the object with disbelief. It was just a gem, how was it able to do that?

Then, suddenly, he was blinded by a yellow light that emerged from the symbol. He let the gem fall on his lap out of shock, covering his straining eyes with his hand while they squinted. Jesus Christ, that was bright. Maybe the doctor turned on the light in the room? No, that couldn’t be the case. That would only happen if any of the monitors malfunctioned, or if there was something wrong with Shiro. Besides that, the door never actually opened.

His eyes widened, his mouth falling open as he peeked at the object on his lap through his fingers, ignoring how his eyes protested in the meantime.

He couldn’t believe it. The light was really coming from the gem!

All Shiro could do was stare at the room in awe. It colored everything in beautiful tones of yellow and orange, like a sunset had just appeared in the room. The once dull walls now seemed to hold interest as the light seemed to dance, enchanting Shiro as he looked at it. His breath shuddered. This was unbelievable, and by far the most gorgeous sight he had ever seen.

And as fast as it came, it disappeared again.

Shiro was left in the dark again, and he was as confused as ever. His eyes needed some time to readjust, so that he could see the way too familiar room once more. However, his surroundings didn’t agree to that.

What followed wasn’t quite clear to him, but it made him jump out of shock, pulling his legs back on the bed, which caused a sharp stab in his abdomen. He groaned in pain.

Suddenly, an object flew through the room with high speed, barely passing in front of his nose and piercing the sack of liquid hanging from one of the machinery attached to him. He held his breath, glancing with big eyes at the object as adrenaline rushed through his veins. The clear liquid started oozing out of it, the pressure released. Shiro squinted his eyes, observing the object. Was that… an arrow? He could barely make out the feathers attached to the back of it, which were a bright, white color.

Soon after, the machine started frantically beeping, like it was crying out in pain from the object that had flown through it, and it made Shiro’s breath pick up in panic. Oh no. How in the HELL was he supposed to explain where the arrow came from? This was the 21st century, not medieval times! He turned his head quickly, finding where  the arrow came from, and he could only conclude it came from the open part of the window.

He didn’t have much time to dwell on thought, because this time, a second arrow shot through the room, bringing the sound of glass shattering with it. Thousands of pieces fell to the ground, and within seconds, cold air filled the room. Shiro shivered, but the cold was the least of his concern, because the wind picked up, and within literal seconds, a figure stood in his room, yanking out the arrows that had entered the room within an instant.

He couldn’t quite make out who it was, but the creature was big, tucking what seemed like a bow behind his back. Shiro swallowed, his eyes big of fright as they followed the creature coming closer. His eyes weren’t quite adjusted, so it was hard to make out the different shapes.

He wanted to scream out, he wanted to yell for help, but somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to. His voice wouldn’t allow it. He tried his best to sit farther away as the creature came closer, pressing himself against his pillow as well as the wall, trying to lean on both hands, which, of course failed. He lost his balance as he fell on the not yet fully healed stump, trying to ignore how much it hurt.

Oh my god, oh my god, what the FUCK was going ON right now?!    

Everything was chaos, the room, his mind, everything. It was hard to keep track. His head started to spin.

His breathing became louder, until he was hyperventilating, never letting himself lose the sight of whatever was standing in his room. The air burned in his lungs, his body seemed to be on fire. He wanted to say something to the creature, but his voice didn’t agree, only a yelp leaving his throat.

The creature didn’t seem to focus on Shiro, but instead on how to get the screaming apparatuses around him shut off. Eventually, he took hold of the cord, pulling something out of his pocket, which showed itself to be a dagger as soon as the moonlight reflected on it. It managed to cut through all the different kinds of wires, causing Shiro to visibly start shaking. This creature’s intention was to fucking kill him, and it definitely didn’t dart around the subject.

It didn’t take long before it became difficult to breathe, the air being stuck in his throat. It almost felt like he was drowning in chaos, in everything around him. 

He didn’t notice the person coming closer until he felt the touch of skin, and it took him a while before he realized he didn’t feel the bed anymore. He choked on his breath as he felt himself slip away, the last thing properly registering being the flapping of wings.

“M…Matt?”

**Author's Note:**

> Ooooo... cliffhanger.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! Leave kudos, or better yet, a comment, they are always welcome. If you are interested in contacting me, my tumblr is  Mattams  and my art account is  Tahemalie . It wouldn't surprise me if you'd see some artwork of this fanfic appear there! Thank you to Emma and Mari for proofreading for me after me nagging for a solid hour, it means a lot to me!


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